Pole-stripping machine



M. T. ALEXANDER POLE-STRIPPING MACHINE Jan. 8, 1952 Filed May 9, 194e s sheets-sheet 1 n f* 7 f/ ,fl f7 t ,Q N N S K g a. lk y Inventor MAL v /N rALExAN'aE/v M. T. ALEXANDER 2,581,829

POLE-STRIPPING MACHINE I 'mentor .wmv/N r ALEXANDE ana/may M@ Jan. s, 1952 M. T. ALEXANDER POLE-STRIPPING MACHINE Filed May 9, 1946 uur ` 3 sheets-sheet s /Ill Inventor Patented Jan. 48, 1952 PATENT `FFICE POLE-"STRIPPING'f-MAOHNE Malvinll. Alexander, Seattle',-.Wash.

l ppl'ieatoxrMay 1946,' Serial'Nor668j5'01 Thisy invention-z relates-1t to imm'ovexnents.` in poleestrippingnrachines, A-n object fof the-fine ventioncis toprovideifan' improvedzpoleestripping machine .for peelingitheabarkffromvraw@ poles vor pulp wood.'

Another-1 object of the.` invention .isvf'to :provide ant improved". poleestrippingf machine having: i a plurality ofi pivoteddy radially adjustable:l arcuate .'suttingf'lmives` supported by at: rotatable cuttere head, whereby f poles t fect throughe the 's machine will have; their surfaces'engaged byfsai'clferotathrg cutter??A blades o1-f kniveslto cut i the bark from thecpoles:

A: further-objectotztheeinventonisito providev aniimprovedtpolesstrippingfmachinecincmdmgaza:

fixed/1frame;` in whiclrz aerotary 'cutter-lieadwll bei: mounted: upon". roller: bea-ringsgz. said cutter head supporting a plurality of pivoted .a1-cuate@ shapedcutterz blades.. or* knives, together with adjustable weights for forcing the blades or knives to follow the varying-surface contours of the logs assthey are fedto andl-throughv-said machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improvedpoIe-*stripping machine including a xed supporting base anda.v rotatably mounted cutter-head. mounted uponA rollrfbearngs therein',l adapted to be.v driven'.` by af; suitable electric motor-:and tbelt or..be1ts,..said'cutter-head .having a plurality'of radially disposed'. slotted guides-and pivoted arcuate cutter. blades or kniveszwith inter-connected..centrifugal. weights whereby a pole will b'e quicklystripped ofzits barl'eiascitis fed throughr the machine.V

Anotherrobjectotthe invention is toiprovide ani improved; polefstrip.png'-.macline Whiolizwill bef highly:v eilicientv in. operation; and relatively inexpensive to, manufacture .and produce.

Other objects will appear as the description proceeds: y In't'heaccompanying' drawings'whichf'frm a part offthis' application:V Figure -1 is'a front elevationv of* the' improved pole-stripping machine;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the slotted guide mechanism with the pivoted arcuate cutting blade and connected adjustable counterweight;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the improved polestripping machine; and .v

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the improved machine showing a log supported on a logging truck being run through the machine with a 4 Claims..4 (Cl. 144-208 2 second logging truck.:ready. to receive the pole afterfits barkthasibeenistripped therefrom:

I llkercharacters.ozreference are used through'- outetheifollrmfing-r specieaton and the accome panying drawings; to: designate corresponding. part's.-`

n carrying out` the invention, there.z is proVd vided a base or support I havin'gfitheiupstanding bracing# standards and 1:3; .between which. the annularT stationary-'frame 4f' is V:po'siiioneml An annular groovezi is cut -in thestati'Onaryz frame diand `forms a" raceefor-` the seriesof'. roller bear ings-5f; wniclrare. held 1in A place ebystne thrust ring l secured'fto theff'rame vmbv means or vlthe bolts. 8. Tnenylindrical rotary-cutter-heada isformed further provided with a centrally disposed-ipe@ iiplieral-race iorrgroovef-'I 2 tri-cooperate. with and receive the-v heretofore: mentioned.:` roller bearings-15? electric motorror othersource'of powerfIB will b'e supportedadjacentthe-'base or support I, and will be provided with spaced pulleys I4 and I5 which4 are connected'by m'eansofthe belts Hifi and. Iy 1'? to'1 thers'paced vperipheral drive surfaces I8 and I9 at'theopposite-lsdes o' the racel or* groove I2` onithe' rotarycutter-headfy 9.

Fourf pairs oflinwardlyfextending, spacedbearing earsi20iarepositionedf90 'apart on the inner surface-210i 'tl-ie'frotaryf'cuttereliead 9; and are connectedb'y-'the--cross' pins` 2-2; which in turn pivotallysupport the depending, arcuate-shaped cutting'blades -or knivesV 231 the convexcutting edgesrfofwlich a-re-ground to anv approximate 15l angle from i the -squarer- The upper ends of thefbladesfor'knives-Ziare curved'outwardly'andterminate inthev threaded endsA 24* upon which the" 'counterweights 25# are a'd-jus'tably 'received to provide for the continuous Contact.: of f said' cutting;- blades with the' varying surfaces r of* the pole'- as it -is beingl` fed through the* machiner Oppositely disposed bracket'- armsl 26" and' 2l are` fastener at` their v'outerer1-cisten the opposite sides of the outwardly curved portions of the knife or blade extensions, and are apertured to fit over the cross pins 22 and to extend forwardly thereof, supporting the inwardly directed, spaced guide arms 28 and 29 which are slotted at 30 and 3| and are formed with the pole guide noses or heads 32.

Radially and inwardly extending pins 33 are mounted in the rotary cutter-head 9 and support the longitudinally extending pins 34 which are received in bores in said cutter head 9. Coil Springs 33 are disposed about the pins 33 and engage the outer edges of the guide arms 28 and 29 to yieldingly advance said arms into contact with the surface of a pole 36 as it passes through the machine. Cross pins 37 are mounted through the lower ends of the pins 33 and operate in the slots 30 and 3|.

In the event there is insuiiicient centrifugal pressure available on the blade ends 24, coil springs (not shown) may be connected between the aperture 38 and the adjacent edge oi? the rotary cutter-head 9 to provide the necessary tension upon said cutter blades or knives.

In Figure of the drawings, there is illustrated a track 39 and spaced logging trucks 40 and 4| disposed at the opposite sides of the pole-stripping machine. A log is bolted on the truck 40 and is forced into contact with the guide or guide heads 32, which immediately open up due to the pin and slot connections to permit the pole to start through the machine. The arcuate knives or blades 23 will automatically engage the surface of the log, and as the rotary head is rapidly rotated, the bark will be quickly cut and removed from the pole, regardless of its surface contour, due to the centrifugal action of the weights forcing the blades or knives into engagement with the surface of the pole.

Spaced guides 45 and 46 will be mounted at the opposite sides of the peeling machine, and will include the rollers 47 on the ends of the pivoted arms 48, which will be urged into contact with the surface of the pole by means of the springs 49.

It has been found that this machine may be eiciently operated by two men -and will have a capacity of at least one hundred telephone poles per hour.

, While the preferred embodimentof the instant invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention thereto, as many minor changes Vin detail of construction may be resorted to.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: v

1. A centrifugally advanced cutter, in a rotary cutter head, comprising a cutter support pivotally mounted intermediate its ends, a convex ,cutting edge on the cutter support adjacent one end thereof, and a yweight adjustably mounted on the cutter support adjacent its opposite end, thepivotal axis of said cutter support and the axis of curvature of said cutting edge being parallel to each other and normal to the axis of rotation of said cutter head.

2. Log peeling equipment which includes a cutter head mounted to revolve about an axis, arcuate cutter blades mounted in said head to swing in arcs which lie in planes containing said cutter head axis, said blades having arcuate cutting edges lying in planes containing said cutter head, threaded extensions on the blades also movable in arcs which lie in planes containing said cutter head axis, and iiyweights threaded on the threaded extensions for adjustment longitudinally thereof and for advancing the blades toward said axis as the head revolves.

3. A log peeling apparatus comprising an annular cutter head mounted to revolve about an axis, cutter supports having convex blades on their inner ends and being pivotally mounted at vtheir centers on the inner surface of the cutter head on axes at right angles to the cutter head axis so as to swing in planes containing said cutter head axis, U-shaped log contacting guides straddling the inner blade ends of the cutter supports and resiliently mounted in the cutter head for movement radially toward and away fromsaid cutter head 'axis for guiding work through said head, and means connecting said guides to the cutters for swinging the blades in said planes upon movement of the guides either toward or away from said cutter head axis.

4. A log peeling apparatus comprising an annular cutter head mounted to revolve about an axis, cutter supports having convex blades on their inner ends andbeing. pivotally mounted at their centers on the inner surface of the cutter head on axes at right 'angles tothe cutter head axis so `as to swing in planes containing said 'cutter head axis, U-shaped log contacting guides straddling the inner blade ends of the cutter supports and resiliently mounted in the cutter head for movement radially toward and away from said cutter head axis for guiding work through said head, means connecting said guides to the cutters for swinging the blades in said planes upon movement of the guides either toward or away from said cutter head axis, and adjustable yweights mounted on the outer ends of the cutter supports.

MALVIN T. ALEXANDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENT Number Name Date 13,180 Peckham July 3, 1855 314,876 Poole etal Mar. 31, 1885 397,114 Dolsen Feb. 5, 1889 436,175 arley Sept. 9, 1890 721,834 bertson Mar. 3, 1903 817,943 Waltz Apr. 17, 1906 1,248,700. Olson Dec. 4, 1917 1,539,603 Saprones May 26, 1925 2,109,414 Deiters et al. Feb. 22, 1938 2,299,523 Carpmail Oct. 20, 1942 2,448,689 Schnyder Sept. 7, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 20,316 Norway Nov. 26, 1909 29,308 Sweden Aug. 6, 1910 389,655 

